


Misdirection

by Creed Cascade (creedcascade)



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Christmas, Developing Relationship, F/M, M/M, Mother-Son Relationship, Points of View
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-29
Updated: 2012-12-29
Packaged: 2017-11-22 20:01:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/613721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creedcascade/pseuds/Creed%20Cascade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Doris McGarrett's point of view at the Christmas supper in Episode 3.11 ("Kahu"/"Guardian").</p>
            </blockquote>





	Misdirection

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dawnchsr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dawnchsr/gifts).



When Doris met Danny Williams, she disliked him instantly. He reminded her of her husband’s old partners on the force. Not necessarily the personality – brash and loud that it may be – but everything about his demeanour screamed cop. Bred blue and true to the core.

It was easy enough to run a search on him.

Son of a firefighter and social worker, undoubtedly inheriting the service gene from his parents. Ex-wife and daughter. Bitter custody battle under his belt. Mainlander from New Jersey of all places. High arrest record with a few marks on his record for talking back to authority figures and lawyers when they crossed his moral line. She knew the type. Hell, she had married that type.

Things with men like Danny Williams were usually black and white. It’s one of the reasons she had married John. Easy cover. Easy cover that was too easy to fall in love with. A mistake she promised she would never make. She thought John would have taken care of the children instead of focusing on vengeance. Maybe she had underestimated John’s love for her, but she couldn’t focus on that.

But, something was different about Danny Williams. He wasn’t just a cop. He wasn’t just her son’s partner. They were too close, and not in the brotherly way she would have expected. It went beyond beers after a hard case and boarding on a day off.

Steve treated Danny and his daughter as family. Somehow Danny had somehow managed to worm his way past Steve’s strong emotional barriers. She blamed herself. Steve never would have been left emotionally vulnerable if she hadn’t been forced to leave. Not abandon Steve, like Danny called it. No, not that. She left her children to protect them.

This Christmas was supposed to be her chance at redemption.

A truly family Christmas.

She could deal with Catherine Rollins there. She liked Catherine. The young woman was a good match for Steve, but Danny hadn’t been in the plans. Said Christmas-crasher, with funky Jersey hair, was currently sitting at her dining room table wearing a god awful tie.

Steve was seated next to Danny and leaned over, tugging on the tie for what must have been the hundredth time.

Danny grimaced and smacked his hand away. “Next time I cut your fingers off, babe.”

Steve sputtered under his breath. “I can’t believe you wore that thing.”

“It’s Christmas.” Danny caressed the garish red and green faux-silk. He pressed the reindeer’s nose and it started to warble an off-key Christmas tune as if it had been played too many times.

Instead of mocking Danny like she expected, Steve snorted under his breath and grinned. “Gracie?”

“You got it in one.” A wistful expression fell over his face. “I promised I would wear it.”

“A promise is a promise. I know you miss her. I miss her, too. We’ll have our own Christmas with her when she gets back. You can wear the suit.” Steve clapped Danny on the shoulder and squeezed it in a slow massage. “Back to your fugly tie. I’ll text her a picture myself later.”

“You’ll be in it, too.” Danny smirked. “She got you a Santa hat.”

Not only did Steve pose for the photo with Danny, but he willingly wore the Santa hat with a goofy grin.

Doris ended up biting her fork too hard to keep from saying something she might regret. She glanced at Catherine, hoping the intelligent young woman would see what she saw. Instead of irritation, Catherine gave them an indulgent smile as she took the photo with Steve’s camera. 

Catherine might be perfect for her son, but she was in for a heartbreak.

After a meal full of mediocre food, beer, bantering, and bickering she thought Danny would leave. She tried to give him every excuse to leave. Instead Danny, Steve, and Catherine ended up on the couch watching a cheesy holiday special. It didn’t escape Doris’ notice that Steve sat closer to Danny than to Catherine, his arm slung along the back of the couch, edging ever so closely to Danny’s shoulders.

By the end of the night, Catherine excused herself, kissing Steve goodnight and went up the stairs to Steve’s bedroom. Danny nodded off, snoring softly with his face pressed against Steve’s shoulder. Steve was heavy lidded himself, his expression soft and she wasn’t sure if he even realized he was carding his fingers through Danny’s hair.

“Shouldn’t you go to bed?” she asked, nodding towards the staircase. “I can call him a cab.”

“Don’t worry,” Steve answered, his voice sleep-slurred. “Danno likes the couch. We can go surfin’ in the mornin’ after coffee.”

His eyelids drifted closed and his breathing evened out. Doris continued to sit and watch her son and his partner sleep.

Both men had girlfriends, but were in love with each other.

She didn’t know if they had done anything about it and she didn’t want to know.

Danny didn’t like her, that was plain enough. He blamed her for abandoning Steve, not even trying to understand her point of view. Unwaveringly loyal to Steve.

It wasn’t what she wanted for her son.

But, if she came between Steve and Danny, she wasn’t sure Steve would choose her.

She would have to do what she had always done. Wait and see.

END.


End file.
